A Teen's Troubles
by hokie3457
Summary: A father/daughter conversation.


**A/N: Well this has been sitting around since the spring. It was originally for a prompt during "Lenny Week" that never got finished. Did a little bit of thinking on it and, well here we are. **

**Let me know what you think. Your opinions are always valued!**

A Teen's Troubles

"Daddy?"

The soft voice startled Leonard as he was reading and reviewing what he hoped was the final draft of his paper discussing the results of the latest series of experiments under the lengthy government program he was currently involved in.

"What is it darling girl?" he replied as he looked at his older daughter, Faith, as she stood in the doorway of his home office, fiddling with her fingers in front of her. This act, like so many others of Faith Marie Hofstadter was a carbon copy of her mother. It often took his breath away.

At thirteen, she was still rather petite. She had her mother's looks and blonde hair, but was extremely shy and studious, like her father.

"I have…I have a question" she said, still softly. Still fiddling, but now looking down, letting that blonde hair fall forward and cover her face.

Growing a little concerned, but trying to hide it, he rose from his chair and took the girl by both hands. He brought her over to the small teal colored sofa that had once sat in the living room of his wife's apartment. "Come here. You can ask me anything."

Letting go of her hands, he noticed that they went back together. Folding and unfolding in her lap.

Still looking down and hiding behind her hair, she asked quietly "do you ever get mad, I mean really, really mad at momma?"

"Well I wouldn't say I get mad. Dogs get mad, but yeah I can get angry with your mom sometimes, but it never lasts very long. She gets angry and frustrated with me every once in a while too. It's part of living together and being in love with someone. Why do you ask?"

She looked up at her father now. A tear was falling down her cheek.

Bringing his hand up, he wiped it away and enveloped her in his arms.

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

The young girl was now weeping into her father's shoulder. Leonard felt completely helpless. Part of him wanted to call out to Penny, but he didn't. If Faith had wanted to speak to her mother about this, she wouldn't have sought him out.

He waited for her to stop crying. He thought back to Penny's emotional outbursts and how they had changed over the years. From when they were first friends, to when they were dating; then when they were not. When they were first married and when she was expecting both with Faith and their younger daughter Hope.

Pulling away from her father, but taking both of his hands (after wiping both eyes with her sleeve - - - adorable he thought), she began to speak, still in a soft-little-girl voice.

"So there's this boy I like. A lot" Leonard sat up a little straighter after the words I and like.

Not noticing her father's reaction, Faith continued. "His name is Mark Harris. He is so cute Daddy. He has dark wavy hair and wears these cute black framed glasses when he has to read and he has the bluest eyes- - - oh and he's on the basketball team!"

Leonard cleared his throat and said "sounds kind of dreamy."

Again not noticing his demeanor, she went on. "A couple of weeks ago Katie told me he was talking about me. He said I was kind of cute for a smart kid."

He let her go on. It seemed that they had a study hall period together and she had begun to help him with an early algebra class. Things had progressed along the lines of 8th grade dating, phone calls, texting and meeting with a group of their peers at the mall. All was well in her world until earlier today.

She began to sob again with the tears flowing. Composing herself she said in a quiet, but suddenly steady voice "this morning he met me at my locker and handed me a folded piece of paper. He said that they were the questions for his algebra mid-term exam that he is supposed to take on Thursday. He said that it would be really nice if I would fill in the answers for him so he could pass the test."

Leonard frowned and said "oh sweetheart." A part of him wanted to ask where and how a student would obtain exam questions ahead of time, but he decided that wasn't what was important at the moment.

She took in a deep breath and said "yup. He wanted me to cheat for him. I said that I wouldn't do it. That cheating was against the rules."

"Faith. I'm so sorry."

"He grabbed the pages away from me and said that 'it figures that a geek and a nerd wouldn't know how to be cool about things.'"

"Faith" Leonard said quietly putting his hands on his daughter's arms. "I am so, so proud of you. You did the right thing, you know."

"I know. Mark is a total ass-oops. Sorry Daddy. I didn't mean to curse."

"That's alright. I won't tell if you don't" he replied as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He felt a small explosion of warmth inside at the familiar action.

"I shouldn't care so much, but why am I so ma-I mean angry with him?"

"Maybe it's not that you're angry with him. Maybe you're angry about him."

She looked at her father with a quizzical face.

"I mean, maybe what you're angry about is that you trusted him and thought he was acting in a certain way. When it turned out that what you thought wasn't true, well, that can hurt and make you angry."

"It did hurt. I thought that he liked me for me, but he just wanted to use my brain."

"I think that will turn out to be his loss. He'll miss out on getting to know a wonderful person."

"Daddy" she countered, drawing out the word, but included a shy smile as she leaned into the comforting shoulder.

Both that word and that smile made his heart soar. That feeling was short-lived however as a voice from the other end of the house shouted "Faaaaiiith!"

Father and oldest daughter looked at each other and simultaneously said "Hope."

Giving her father a quick hug she stood up and said "thanks daddy" and then hollered back "hold on Hopie! I'll be right there!"

"Love you, Faith" he said as she trotted to the door.

"Love you too daddy" came the reply as she reached the doorway and turned and smiled brightly, seemingly healed from her teen-aged angst.

As she went to exit her father's office, another blonde quickly ducked around the corner into the laundry room, hiding the fact that she was eavesdropping on the conversation between her husband and her oldest daughter, wiping away a tear, but smiling that same bright smile.


End file.
